Soap



Patented Sept. 26, 1922.1

umrao STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. MILSON, OF W ATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR '1'0 PIONEER CHEM- ICAL COMPANY, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

citizen of the United States, and resident of Watertown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Soaps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to anew soap composition and method of forming the same, and the object of this invention is to provide a soap that is more particularly adapted for washing wool and which will serve to protect the fibers of the wool against the action of caustic alkalies in the bath during the operation of scouring and cleaning and also prevent the fibers from excessive shrinking or becoming harsh, brittle and yellow.

In preparing an ordinary bath for scouring and cleaning wool a certain percentage of soda ash or washing soda is used together with a certain percentage of soap and the whole is heated'to approximately 120 F.

The wool is now passed through the bath which acts upon the fibers to clean and remove the foreign matter, which latter is composed of dirt and other substances collected in the wool which also carries a certain percent of the usual wool grease.

It is found in practice that if the temperature of the water is raised beyond a certain degree or the alkalies are made too strong in the bath, the wool becomes injured and its value rapidly decreases.

By the use of my improved soap the amount of alkali in the bath may be materially lessened, approximately one-half of that ordinarily used thereby materially decreasing the liability of injury to the wool from this cause even though the temperature should accidentally be raised to an abnormal degree. Again by the use of my improved soap only about one-half of the quantity of it is required to act successfully upon the wool to clean it and to separate the earthy matter therefrom and permit this dirt to drop away from the wool and settle to the bottom of the bath.

Another feature in the use of my improved soap is that when the same is subjected to the heat in the bath a small percentage of the petroleum oil which is one of the elements of which the soap is made, separates from the other elements and adheres to the wool fibers, thereby coating and protecting these fibers against injurious action of the SOAP.

Application filed May 9, 1919. Serial No. 295,889.

Mixture A.

Animal oil.

Petroleum oil.

Mix together approximately seven pounds of animal oil with three-pounds of petroleum pisloanld subject the same to a temperature of Mixture B.

Sodium hydroxide or other suitable alkali.

Water.

Mix two and one-half pounds of sodium hydroxide with seven and one-half pounds of water, the sodium hydroxide naturally serving to raise the temperature of this body of water to 155 F.

Mixtwre 0.

Animal oil.

Sodium silicate.

Take seven pounds of animal oil and three pounds of sodium silicate and melt or fuse these together into a syrup at 155 F.

Mixture D.

Sodium hydroxide or other suitable alkali.

Water.

Mix two and one-half pounds of sodium hydroxide with ten and one-half pounds of water, the sodium hydroxide serving to raise the temperature of this body of water to Mixture E.

Aluminum chloride.

Water.

Mix one pound of aluminum chloride, with ten pounds of cold water.

In compounding the above mixtures I mix together mixtures A and B at the temperatures given, I then mix together mixtures C and D at the temperatures given, I then take ten pounds of the A and B mixture;

five pounds of the C and D mixture; onehalf pound of the E mixture and mix these all together, to form a compound which is now brought to the boiling point, the heat is then turned off and the whole is stirred rapidly until cool, which stirring prevents the separation of the different ingredients.

I have herein stated the relative amounts in pounds, but any quantity may be compounded using approximately the above equivalent percentages.

My improved soap formed of the above ingredients serves to act most successfully upon the wool during the washing and scouring process. In the first bath the earthy matter or dirt is caused to separate from the wool and wool grease, and in the second operation the wool grease is caused to separate from the Wool.

One of the essential ingredients in my improved soap isthe petroleum oil which dissolves at a temperature higher than that of any of the other ingredients in the soap. Therefore when the soap is subjected to the dissolving temperature of about 110 to 115 F. this oil is released by the chemical action of aluminum chloride and is taken up by the traveling wool and fibers thereof serving to protect them from injury against the action of the caustic alkali upon them;

In the usual method of wool washing andscouring the wool grease will dissolve at a temperature of 110 to 120 F. which heat is sufficient to scour the wool and the alkali coming in contact with this wool grease serves to raise the temperature, which acts upon the fibers and has a tendency to make them harsh, brittle and yellow.

By the use of my improved soap the petroleum oil which has been freed from the soap in subjecting it to a bath of the required temperature, spreads itself over the delicate fibers of the wool and serves to protect these delicate, minute particles of the fibers, from the action of the alkali and at the same time this coating has a tendency to prevent the fibers from becoming over heated during the operation.

During the process of scouring the wool the little cells in the wool fibers become swollen or enlarged by the heat of the water, and

1 ,aaopee the wool itself is actually softened, thereby permitting the petroleum oil from my soap to penetrate these fibers and so more effectually protect them against excessive shrinkage thereby counteracting the natural effect of strong soaps and alkalies.

Then again certain of the ingredients in my improved soap serve to act upon the wool fibers to bleach and render them white while the oil keeps the fibers soft and pliable instead of permitting them to become harsh and brittle as is the case where the soap contains no oil. By the use of my improved soap for washing and scouring wool I not only make a considerable saving in the cost of soap by using so small a quantity, but the wool washed by my process is of a higher quality and therefore is of greater value.

Having thus described my invention and the best mode known to me for carrying out my method, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A soap formed of a mixture of animal oil, petroleum oil, an alkali, a sodium sil' icate, aluminum chloride and water in suitable roportions.

2. soap formed of a mixture of the following ingredients in substantially the following proportions, animal oil fourteen pounds, petroleum oil three pounds, alkali five pounds, sodium silicate three pounds, aluminum chloride one pound and water twentX-eight pounds.

3. soap formed of a mixture of animal oil, an alkali, sodium silicate, water, petroleum oil, and aluminum chloride as a separator to free the petroleum when the soap is submitted to atemperature of approximately 120 Fahrenheit.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN R. MILSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. BURNS, LoUIs PFEIFFER. 

